According to reports, the England national team, led by Thomas Tuchel, is scheduled to play two matches in June. The Three Lions will first face Andorra in Barcelona as part of the World Cup qualifiers, followed by a friendly against Senegal in Nottingham three days later. However, Tuchel faces a new challenge: the Club World Cup.

The friendly between England and Senegal is set to take place just four days before the start of the Club World Cup in the USA. Tuchel has several key players who are expected to participate in the tournament: players from Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid.

The clubs owning these English stars have been negotiating with the English Football Association (FA) for some time, requesting the immediate release of their players after the Andorra match to join their clubs for the Club World Cup. However, BBC reports that Tuchel is unhappy with this arrangement and insists that the friendly against Senegal is far more important to him than the match against Andorra, and he wants all his players available.

The FA has informed Tuchel that further negotiations with the clubs are necessary before a final decision can be made.

Tuchel, who replaced Gareth Southgate, told his players in his first meeting as England manager that they have limited time together before the 2026 World Cup, and he will not allow this time to be reduced for any reason.

If Tuchel succeeds in securing the FA’s approval, key players like Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Phil Foden (Manchester City), and several other stars will not be able to participate in the Club World Cup—or at least the early matches of their teams in the tournament.